Back in July 2019, Dokken frontman Don Dokken talked with The Classic Metal Show about the status of drummer “Wild” Mick Brown, who had been with the band for over 40 years .During some of the concerts by the band at that time, House Of Lords’ BJ Zampa had been behind the kit.
Don explained the situation saying, "I think he's done. He's retiring, basically. It hit me very suddenly. We were actually on tour, I don't know, a month and a half, two months ago. I remember, we were at the airport, and we were getting on yet another freakin' plane flight, like we do four or five times a week, and he pulled me aside and he says, 'Bro, I can't do it anymore.' And I said, 'What's the matter?' And he said, 'No, I can't do it anymore. I can't do this. I can't keep flying and playing and staying in hotels and playing drums.' And I said, 'Is it a money thing? Or is it just the travel? We can cut the shows back. We can do less shows.' And he said, 'No. I just can't do it, man.' And he made a point. He said, 'Look, I started playing drums at 10 years old, and I'm 62.' He goes, 'I'm just worn out.'"
Brown recently guested on the Barstools & Bandtalk podcast, where he discussed his decision to retire. Check out the interview below.
Brown on calling it quits four years ago:
"My body started developing pain from playing drums, and I was really getting tired and it was really hard to walk through airports. I wouldn't have stopped if the pain wasn't there, but the pain was getting too much for me. And the traveling... listen, after 40 years of travelling that fast, the last thing I wanted to do was go to another airport or sit in a van going to the hotel or on a tour bus. I was done.
Everything I liked about it had kind of disappeared anyway. Don wasn't using me on the last couple of records, and I'm like, 'I'm the drummer in the band. You're not gonna…?' because it cost money to fly me. It turned into that world and it became a job. My roadie was gone. I had to set up a different drum set every day. It went full circle from what you did when you were 14 to 63. I'm, like, 'I'm back as a 14-year-old, except I'm really old. I have to set these drums up? Fuck that.'
"I haven't touched a drumstick in two years. I'm done. I did everything I wanted to do... tenfold more than I thought was gonna happen. Literally. And God, being able to get out, and looking back now, I'm so grateful. I literally cry tears of joy sometimes and just... wow, I did that."
